Finally got my website up, input wanted

[maelawncare]

Well guys i finally did it. And if you guys are wanting one, now is the time to do it. ITS FREE AND SIMPLE. Just check out what i can do. It only cost me $5.99 for the domain name and that was it, i get this site for 3 years. Yes 3 years. I got it from www.1and1.com they are like teh best think i have come across, sorry willow. But i would like some input from you guys as how you like, and what i can do to make it better before i put the site out there for the public to see.

Here it is

http://www.maelawncare.com

[Johnny]

Congatulations on your new .com. Looking good.

[Matt]

Clean it up a lot: 2 of the pictures should be removed. 1 and 4. 1 because it doesn't look like a very professional angle. 4 because there is a mess in the background which wouldn't make any sense to someone who doesn't know about irrigation.

Formalize it: I like the fact that it is a rather lively site, however from my view on things you should be making it to look more professional (more intelligent) the more info you can convey to your potential clients, the better off you are. Even by simply changing the words you use to convey a message, that will make you look smarter.

And as we all know... Knowledge = power.

[gusbuster]

I liked the feel of your site. All the links worked. As what Matt said, get better pics before posting(like the one that you can tell the picture was taken from a vehicle)
Looks good

[jason r.]

Looks great. I agree about the pics. Lose the one taken out of the truck and the one with the picnic table full of stuff in the background. Other than that it really looks good.

[mowerman90]

I agree with everyone else. Basically it's a pretty nice site. But geez, don't you have some lawn pic's that don't have bare spots in them? If I were a potential customer I'd wonder who killed that portion of the lawn, the homeowner or the lawnguy.

[LB Landscaping]

Looks very good, I'm going to try them out too. Take the advice about the pics!!!! Maybe under "Our Team" have a pic of yourself and crew if you have one. Was there a cost involved in creating the site??? Did you do it yourself???

[lawnagent]

2nd paragraph, last sentence. as should be spelled is. I agree with the others on the pics. Other wise the site looks really nice. It is really anoying when browsing a site and some of the links dont work. Its good to see all yours do.

[maelawncare]

Ok got rid of the photo page completly now. Should be looking ok. Keep in mind that im not going to give this page out to the masses till about march. So that way i can keep up wiht it and fine tune it.

[Matt]

"Well since it is now winter the mowing season has come to a stop. With projected outcomes it looks like the winter of 2003-2004 will continue to go on. Check back near the spring season for up-to-date info."

Get rid of statements like that. Use more descriptive language, and try to convey some information that people cannot access by simply staring out the window.

[NCSULandscaper]

"We want and value your business. We are also Fully Licensed, Insured, and a Member of the Rolla Chamber of Commerce, to better serve you. Some of our clients include, Bond Clinic Inc, Royal Canin USA, Furniture Factory Outlet, Forum Cinemas, Clinical Research of the Ozarks, and United States Geological Survey. We are sure that our clients will prove that we are who we say we are."

Did you have to get permission from those companies to mention that you do work for them? I know some people who get upset when they see their names used when you didnt get permission.

Everything does look good though, very professional. Good job.

[Chuck]

Well guys i finally did it. And if you guys are wanting one, now is the time to do it. ITS FREE AND SIMPLE. Just check out what i can do. It only cost me $5.99 for the domain name and that was it, i get this site for 3 years. Yes 3 years. I got it from www.1and1.com they are like teh best think i have come across, sorry willow. But i would like some input from you guys as how you like, and what i can do to make it better before i put the site out there for the public to see.

Here it is

http://www.maelawncare.com

Sorry but it lacks originality it looks like a cheap template, your intro is too long and the whole right side looks like a bunch of nothingness.
It needs a serious amount of work.
JMO

[wojo23323]

Looks real good.

[Martino]

From "Services" button:

-Line Trimming
Includes - Line trimming of certain areas that could not be mowed. Such as ditches and along fences

Should read:
Line Trimming
Includes - Line trimming of certain areas that could not be mowed, such as ditches and fence lines

From "News" button:

Simply write, "Check back in the spring for up-to-date news and happenings.", or similar.

From "About Us" button:

We are also Fully Licensed, Insured, and a Member of the Rolla Chamber of Commerce, to better serve you.

Get rid of "to better serve you."

Also, if you're sure that your current clients are going to give you good reviews, you should have a record in the form of written references.

Against any professional landscape management yardstick you wish to use, I’m personally confident you’ll find we measure up.

Get rid of the "personally" and put "that" after "find."

From the "Our Team" button:

Since that first day that we set out to better improve the landscapes of Rolla, MO, every job done has been done by a Maedgen.

Should read:

"Since that first day that we set out to improve the landscapes of Rolla, MO, every job done has been done by a Maedgen."

Also:

We will continue to strive to bring you the quailty that you deserve and have grown to love.

Use either "continue" or "strive", but not both, in this sentence. Also, if they have grown to love the quality of their landscape maintanance, why would they switch and go to your company? I would change the whole paragraph.

From the "How To Find Us" button:

We are located at

10794 Kilpatrick Cir
Rolla, MO 65401

If you wish to contract us we can be reached at either
573.647-2823

Unless you have a "walk-in" business at this address, there is absolutely no way that I would include this on the site. Email and phone numbers will suffice. In the phone number, use either periods or dashes, not both. Do you mean to say "contract" or "contact"? I like "contact" a whole lot more.

Lastly, I don't like the "Guestbook" thingy.

[maelawncare]

Ok things have been updated. And chuck are you just upset that i didnt go with your people? Everyone else seems to think it looks alright.

[UNIONTURF]

First the logo and the site are too different. The site is green and smooth, easy on the eyes and the logo is busy with yellow and blue...they clash big time! Come up with a new logo of just don't put your logo on the site.


I like the template that was used. looks good.

[J Mac]

your logo is cool, but you cant read your phone number at the top. Id print off this thread and spend some quality time with your site prior to releasing it to the public.

[Darryl Gesner]

Under services - Line Trimming - There is a double Includes.

[maelawncare]

no theres not?

[Martino]

no theres not?


Copy & paste:


Line Trimming
Includes - Includes - Line trimming of certain areas that could not be mowed, such as ditches and fence lines

[LawnGoddess]

I just looked at this for the first time today, so I can see alot of the previous posts were already taken care of. I usually tend to only read the home page in depth since that's the first thing people see...other than that I really only pay attention to color and layout.

Being from Missouri and knowing your area.....too professional can also mean too expensive for the area's residents. Personally, even though our business involves the lovely green grass, the color green is very overused and no longer stands out in this industry. I like your logo and think your web site should include toned down versions of the same colors simply because a whole site of those colors would be hard on the eyes. It is fun but can still be professional. Again, this is just my opinion for your area.

I have several suggestions for your site, but please don't think I'm giving you a hard time.

Home page-change as to is in the 2nd paragraph, last line. Maedgen's Lawn Care is (instead of as) set to do.

Services page-needs bullets or bold lettering on headings seperating sections, such as on Basic Maintenance

Contact us page-remember to be consistent instead of 573.647-2823 use 573.647.2823 or 573-647-2823

About us page-again consistency. All the other pages have a bar with a heading in it, this one should have one too. Example: A little info about our company.

Your right margins on all your pages are set too wide....gives the pages a 'half-empty' look.

Conflict of colors with logo and template colors. As stated above, I'd suggest toning down the colors in your logo and using them or a color that is different and low key such as tan or other color that will blend good but not stand out.

I'll try to keep up with this thread to see future changes or you can pm me if you would like input on the changes.

Good luck,
Cindy

OOPS! Forgot one thing...in your logo I'd either enlarge the font or change the font on the words licensed and insured, they are squished down and difficult to read.

[maelawncare]

Ok, :D man am i glad someone is still looking at it. It just need a womans point of view. Updated website, so tell me what you think. Toned down the layout to a basic blue, added a extra page. Changed some words. and as for the page width, it was never too far sideways, you just need to open you browser. So tell me what you think now? I want it to look as professonal as possible. I dont care if i look too expensive thats my goal.

[maelawncare]

Oh by the way, when are you and LGF gonna set up a site. I know a couple of other people in MO who should do it as well. We could like get a network of lawn people on the net for MO. Like not here well go here.

[LawnGoddess]

I don't have alot of time right now to give alot of input, but wanted to let you know I did look at it and I do have other ideas for you. I'll post them as soon as I get more time.

I would remove the links page though. Don't know if I'd send customers to the places you have listed, personally. Or you could give them links related to ideas they may want to consider using for their own landscape...ideas you could install for them ;)

Hopefully I will have some time to list some more later...or you can im me, it's listed in my profile.

Cindy

[Oak Forest Lawns]

Before I begin, let me explain that for 13 years I ran my own graphic design business. Granted, it dealt mainly with print, but the basic principles are the same.

Basically your website looks fine, but there are a few things that jumped out and hit me on the nose.

1. The intro. Pulsating circles don't say "lawn care" to me, and to tell you the truth, they suggested HVAC for some reason. At least there isn't any music. If you have to have animation, a growing plant would be cool.

2. Rolla Chamber logo. Way too big. It could be a third that size, unless of course your agreement with them specifies that size.

3. Heading. What's the connection with e-commerce and why does it have to move? If you do lawncare and also have an e-commerce business (I do) you should have a site for each to keep them separate since the concepts are entirely different. To combine them into one site downgrades the credibility of both. A wide border of plants would be better.

4. The colors. Blah, except for your logo. However, as Cindy noted, they might be exactly right for your area, and I'm not known for my conservative color choices (not everything has to match or coordinate IMHO). So this point may be total BS.

5. "About Us" page. Cut down on the words. You have about 3 seconds to grab a reader's attention and frankly, if you hadn't invited scrutiny, that's a page I'd have skipped the second it came up and all those words appeared. Tell your life story later, face to face. Spilling your guts on an initial meeting is the mark of an amateur.

That's enough of a beating for now. Hope it didn't raise any bruises.

-- Barbara

[Corbin]

How is your page working for you? I thought I might ask this question since it has been up and running for a while now. And I'm sure you've worked out most of the bugs, so what is the value of having a website?

[Oak Forest Lawns]

Wow, what a difference! Just dropped by your website this morning, looks really good. To echo Corbin's question, how is it working for you?

[Gatorboy]

Lose the Flash Intro page

[maelawncare]

Well i have had it up for some time now. Picked up 3 new jobs because people shoped my website and like my work. So to through up numbers. It cost $5 to set it up and $9.99 a month. Total income i recived from it. $1,600 a month. I would say its worth it. At least for the next couple of years. Im also working on redoing the design. But when you dont use their templates and you make it yourself. it takes a while.

[BCSteel]

I took a look through since it came back up and the only thing that I noticed right away was the under thatch control, there is a table of thatch producing grasses but they are not in a table, just listed. Maybe put the low-none on one side and the medium-high opposite?

Looks really good though, I like it a lot (Y)

[Gatorboy]

Your DIRECTION page needs a bit of work. You state you are in the US, but what State?

Why would the default directions start from the UK?

[Corbin]

actually I was looking at your pest control page and found a misspelling you should fix.
it says...

Why live with bugs, when you do not have too!

should say: Why live with bugs when you do not have to!

Just thought I'd give you the heads up so you can keep your site looking professional.

[GLAN]

And in the fertilizer page it talks about Liquid Fertilizer being used in the fall for over night greening.

Mean while below in the 5 step program it never mentions "Liquid Fertilizer"

OK.....have me a bit confused

[Lawngodfather]

Maedgen's Lawn Care is a fully licensed and insured fertilizer & pesticide application company. We use granular, slow release fertilizer. And in the fall will start using liquid fertilizers for overnight results. Applications are done 6 to 7 weeks apart. To maintain a constant supply of nutrients to your lawn and keep weeds at a minimum we recommend five applications. Liquid broadleaf weed control is applied as needed.
Maedgen’s Lawn Care is a fully insured fertilization and licensed pesticide application company.

We pride ourselves in using high quality slow release granular and liquid fertilizers, evenly spaced six to seven weeks apart to maintain a constant flow of nutrients for your lawn. To keep weed to a minimum, we recommend at least five visits to your lawn.


Application should be changed to "visit"

Take the dates off



¤ Line Trimming
Includes - Line trimming of certain areas that could not be mowed, such as ditches and fence lines. All to be to a certian degree that they look as if it has been mowed.
¤ Line Trimming
Includes - Trimming of certain areas with a monofilament line trimmer that could not be mowed, such as ditches and fence lines.

Don't know why you have a page dedicated to it?


¤ Leaf Clean Up
Includes - Leaf removal from the property.



Could you be more specific? Here's what I use "
We use the fastest, most efficient, way to remove leaves from your lawn for you.

We begin by blowing all the beds out, then vacuum those leaves up with a specially designed attachment on our commercial lawn mowers. Finally we will put those leaves where you choose."

That is as far as I have looked it over.

If you are going to have a page, give a good basic description, keep it simple, add pics if possable.